Between us, Aaron Rodgers isn’t really going to try this year, is he? Everyone seems like they’d be perfectly fine if he just took it easy.

Anyway, let’s talk about some other golfers.

Don’t mean a thing without the ring(s)

The 2020 (yes) Olympics are off and running in Tokyo. The hand ballers are handballing, the gymnasts are gymnasting, and the golfers are preparing to golf at the Olympics for just the second time in the past 100 years. This year’s golf portion of the games begins with the men’s event from July 29 to August 1 and concludes with the women’s competition August 5-8. First-round coverage of the men’s action kicks off on Golf Channel tonight in the United States. Men’s Tee Times

The course

Host of many of Japan’s biggest golf tournaments over the years, Kasumigaseki Country Club has a proud history in Japanese golf, including multiple wins by Hideki Matsuyama. With roots going back to the 1930s, the East Course at Kasumigaseki has been worked on by numerous architects, most notably Charles Alison during his trip to Japan in late 1930 and early 1931. Every hole at the course used to have two greens that featured different grass types to accommodate both cool and warm seasons. The number of greens was reduced to one per hole as a part of “modern” updates made by Tom Fazio in 2014. Fazio’s other changes included moving fairway bunkers to account for distance gains. For more on Kasumigaseki, read Sean Martin’s piece for PGATour.com!

What to watch for

The big one – The 2020 Olympics may be the most important event of Sungjae Im’s and Si Woo Kim’s careers. The South Koreans know that a medal—any medal—exempts them from two years of mandatory military service in their home country. That’s a lot of pressure. In recent years, we’ve seen Sangmoon Bae go through military service and struggle to regain his old form afterwards. So if you need someone to root for this weekend, make it Sungjae and Si Woo.

The underdogs – The Olympics is the only golf tournament where we get to see 35 countries represented at the same time. Not that we would be upset if someone like Rory McIlroy or Collin Morikawa won, but how about Fabrizio Zanotti earning a gold medal for Paraguay, or Jhonattan Vegas taking one home to Venezuela? Those would be meaningful victories—both for the players and for their countries.

The hometown kid – Japan loves golf, and no one knows that better than Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama. After slipping on the green jacket earlier this year, Hideki flew back to Japan for a whirlwind media tour and appeared to be on track to be the new fictional King. While he won’t wear a crown this weekend, you know the thought of winning a medal in his home country weighs heavily on him.

Quick Hooks

Golf Digest’s Daniel Rapaport did some in-depth reporting on Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim’s dilemma. Give it a read!

The Western Amateur is underway at Glen View Club north of Chicago. Nearly every elite male amateur is in the field. Stroke play will conclude on Thursday, and the final 16 will compete in match play on Friday and Saturday. Scoring

The LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour, and European Tour have a tri-sanctioned event for players who aren’t in Tokyo. The ISPS Handa World Invitational gets underway in Northern Ireland on Thursday. Be on the lookout for the tee box with a tree in the middle of it! Fields: Women, Men

The Latest from The Fried Egg

Yolk with Doak 30: What’s Happening at the Lido and Dornick Hills

In the latest installment of our interview series with Tom Doak, Tom gives an update on the progress at the Lido, the Keiser family’s latest course near Sand Valley. He and Andy discuss the pros and cons of the technology used to build the course, and they speculate on how it might be used in future restoration projects and in golf course architecture in general. They also chat about Tom’s ongoing work at Perry Maxwell’s Dornick Hills Golf and Country Club in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Shotgun Start: Olympics optimism, Australia apologies, and Eastern elitism 

This Wednesday episode begins with Andy bringing up the hot water Brendan found himself in with the entire continent of Australia. They transition to this week’s Olympics men’s competition in Tokyo. There is a fair amount of intrigue and optimism about an event that, if nothing else, is a moderate (moderate because it is clearly not on the format front) change-up from the week-to-week march on the PGA Tour. There are three things to watch, some nuts-and-bolts on Kasumigaseki, and picks. Then they move on to the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, where the Hurricane is being cited for insights and advice. On the European Tour and LPGA and LET, there is a mixed event with an extremely long title and superfluous exclamation points. The event of the week is a toss-up between two amateur events, with Andy’s bias for his hometown shining through. They discuss this as well, before signing off with news of Tony Romo playing the Texas State Open in a golf cart with air conditioning and doors. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Fried Egg Events

We just finished the Big Muddy, our final event of the summer. Thank you to everyone who came out to Davenport! And if you’re interested, we’d love to have you out at one of our fall events. Limited numbers of registrations for White Bear Yacht Club on 9/13, Prairie Dunes on 10/4, and Lancaster CC on 10/18 are available!